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How to Escape the Modern Rat Race
- proverbialbunny 6y agoFor anyone who has not heard of the word ikigai, I highly recommend googling it. While not possible for everyone, and not easy for everyone to achieve, ikigai is the ultimate goal. If you can achieve that, you're outside of the rat race.
- keenmaster 6y agoJust in case people see the misleading "ikigai" Venn diagram https://medium.com/@support_35468/ikigai-is-not-a-venn-diagram-cca7abba323 https://medium.com/@support_35468/ikigai-is-not-a-venn-diagr...
- proverbialbunny 6y agoOh geez. I did mean the venn diagram + more. The venn diagram has helped me. I'm lucky to be blessed to be in the center of it. In my experience, the venn diagram is correct. It represents what I've gone through quite well.
- fairity 6y agoRegardless of whether or not it accurately explains the term’s origin or true meaning, the Venn diagram seems to present the more compelling idea.
- ErikAugust 6y agoThat really depends on what perspective you are coming from. For the Hacker News set? Yeah, okay.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- AlexandrB 6y agoI disagree. The Venn diagram version positions satisfaction as contingent on things you cannot possibly control ("That Which the World Needs" and "That Which You Can be Paid For"). This is a recipe for perpetual unhappiness and dissatisfaction for most.
- fairity 6y agoI agree that it's best to choose values that are within your control. Once you choose intrinsic values, you'll generally find that you need to make money to best align your actions with your values. The question, then, is how do you balance: 1) making enough money for food and shelter with 2) your intrinsic values? Also, will making more than enough money help you further achieve your values? The diagram presents a framework to find an optimal solution. "That which you love" is a function of your intrinsic values. The other 3 circles will help you efficiently convert your time into money to support what you love. I guess the better diagram would somehow convey the fact that, ultimately, what really matters is that which you love.
- cambalache 6y agoNot only that, Do you want for someone to "deeply care about something"? pay them a lot to work on that.That's it.We are masters on deluding ourselves with post-hoc rationalizations.
- proverbialbunny 6y agoWhat you can control is what you do for a living. You can find jobs that are in the middle of that diagram. You can do multiple things that combine to make the middle of that diagram and so on. Saying it's outside of your control isn't entirely true. However, I do get not everyone can get to the center of that diagram; for some people it is within their control and for some it is not. To blindly dismiss it as a lack of control is a form of learned helplessness, however small, which for many is a root that creates depression. If you're depressed, this may be something you want to talk to a therapist about.
- bostonvaulter2 6y agoBut the venn diagram is a completely different concept and doesn't relate to the original meaning of ikigai. I think it should just get a different name since it is NOT the same thing.
- 8bitsrule 6y agoGreat description there. 'in the realm of small things'. Reminds me of this Jung quote: "makes me think of the rabbi who asked how it could be that God often showed himself to people in the olden days whereas nowadays nobody ever sees him. The rabbi replied: "Nowadays there is no longer anybody who can bow low enough."
- verkwer 6y agoHaha, "Ikigai is not a Venn Diagram" and ironically, neither is any diagram depicted in the article (though it is worth pointing out that, as per the article, they were not created by the author).
- piercebot 6y agoThanks for sharing. This post makes a lot of sense, and I think it jives more closely with the original (How to Escape the Modern Rat Race) post when it comes to finding meaning or purpose in life.
- cmehdy 6y agoIkigai seems to be embodied in the "iyashi-kei", "slice-of-life" genre of Japanese manga and anime. From older titles like Azumanga and YKK (Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou), to Aria / Aqua, K-On, and even series with a bit more activity like the wonderful Mushishi (recommended to anyone without exception).
- spiderjako22 6y agoThe headline sounds like an old-school direct response advertisement --- https://swiped.co/file/american-rat-race-ad-by-ben-suarez/ https://swiped.co/file/american-rat-race-ad-by-ben-suarez/
- nautilus12 6y agoThe irony is that this article is in itself a form of competitive signaling since thats essentially the purpose of hacker news. People would say that its to get information out there, but I doubt most people that post on hacker news wouldn't do it if it didn't help their "brand".
- georgeecollins 6y agoI really like this point of view, but it is important to point out that the bar for happiness in life and relationships (as a proxy for "reproduction) is way below our aspirations. You aren't really trying to be like Instagram influenceres because of your "selfish gene". Your "selfish gene" would do better directing you toward fundamentalist communities where reproductive rates are higher. No, you are being influenced by media, which convinces you that things are a proxy for happiness and good relationships. It's the materialism that fuels our economic progress so I am not against it. But if you think you are in a rat race for money and success, it's because of human nature, not genetic survival.
- mgolawala 6y agoHasn't Human nature itself been crafted by evolutionary forces? It is conceivable that our ancestors that were more laid back and content were more likely to be out competed by those who were hungry for power and prestige. In fact, as an example, isn't there some often quoted statistic about half a percentage of all living humans having descended from Genghis Khan?
- georgeecollins 6y agoHuman nature may be crafted by evolutionary forces, but that doesn't mean that human behavious do is always in service of biological evolution. The idea about people coming from Genghis Khan is unrepresentative in a couple ways. First, that a large number of people have a common ancestor does not mean that the common ancestor was in fact Genghis Khan. It could have been someone else associated with the Mongol conquest. Second, six hundred years from now you or I may have a lot of ancestors, assuming you have kids (I already do). There is nothing remarkable about that.
- bausano_michael 6y agoMore on this topic in a recent HN submission and its associated discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24686904 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24686904
- the_monocle 6y agoTwo universal things that I discovered for me personally that give my life deeper meaning are friendship and art. I feel like no matter what societal status I have, how much money I have or in what state my body is I can always get satisfaction in life through those two means. Sucks that art galleries are closed during covid but movies and tv shows also work well (currently watching some trippy animes from the 90s to scratch my itch).
- AznHisoka 6y agoWhich animes?
- the_monocle 6y agoActually right now its only one anime! Its "Revolutionary Girl Utena". The visuals are gorgeous, the premise of the anime is super interesting (A girl was saved by a prince when she was small and then decided to become like him while she waits for him to return by wearing male clothes and acting like a hero) and the whole story is super trippy in general. Also it has many references to art and religion[1][2]. I'm at around the half point right now, but can definitely recommend! [1]https://twitter.com/ohtori_nu/status/1068525697713356804 https://twitter.com/ohtori_nu/status/1068525697713356804 [2]https://ohtori.nu/analysis/01_meike_disciples_of_abraxas_4.htm https://ohtori.nu/analysis/01_meike_disciples_of_abraxas_4.h... (The anime quotes from the famous german author Herman Hesse)
- zant 6y agoI would add self-enhancement to this. I recently started to exercise with rings and go on deeper math, and every progress is very rewarding. I think this apply to anything one may choose.
- gbrown 6y agoI was talking with my brother about this, and he called it “intellectual hedonism”. Never really thought about it that way, but it’s not entirely incorrect.
- H8crilA 6y agoExcuse me, but what about prolonged periods of depression? I am hoarding an appropriate amount of resources specifically to not suffer when things go south. This also implies a different than usual choice of assets (at most a very small allocation to the S&P500 for me; I am not looking to get rich, but to survive).
- MeinBlutIstBlau 6y agoThat might mean you have minimal to few hobbies and nobody whom you care about to share them with. I don't mean join groups, I mean actually make friends. They can be completely superficial. It gives you a reason to step outside your comfort zone and do something you hate but with a smile.
- H8crilA 6y agoI just mean there's a reason why one would work hard(er) even if one has limited faith in in-group mentality and peer approval/status, and that is building reserves. BTW, you don't need a lot of reserves.
- war1025 6y ago> This also implies a different than usual choice of assets Care to elaborate on what specifically you are investing in? Seems like if you were wanting to survive "things going south" that would entail productive farm land and some sort of "back to the land" style prepper homesteading.
- H8crilA 6y agoGold, inflation-linked things like beaten down oil/commodity stocks, apartments in fundamentally different locations (preferably cheap), but also cash for deflation (or bonds, but bonds are really no longer a thing since covid put a final nail into the yields, imho). And it's all about % allocation. S&P500 is great if you use it right, besides most of us already have a large exposure to the "US stock the world beater superman" via engineer salaries. Farmland would be perfect, but unless you're actually a farmer and know how to survive on your own this is simply not in your reach. I'm just a software guy, really like this profession, but doing software mostly precludes having the knowledge of a farmer.
- melenaboija 6y agoBeing from Europe and having spent the last 6 years in the US I feel this is way more accentuated here. I always thought the fact of putting your life in true risk because of your financial situation could be one of the reasons (lack of public health). And this extends to public education, retirement plans, ... which forces people to the competition. Just an opinion based on my personal experience though
- birdsbirdsbirds 6y agoThis article is not about escaping the rat race but about winning it. Reinvesting and having long-term goals is just the best strategy to make the most. It's kind of doubling down on the rat race. The status game is actually a valid strategy since, unlike developers, most people don't live in a merit-based society. Strong people associate with strong people. So whoever needs resources also has to appear strong. For non-developers, it's pitch day every day. The easiest way to escape the rat race is to keep racing. Not to win, but to race.
- tstrimple 6y agoMaybe I'm missing something, but I don't think there is anything at all about developers which would set them apart from the hoi polloi. The vast majority of developers do not live in a merit based society. They are just as much subject to the requirements of appearing strong as anyone else. They have to pitch to win, just like anyone else.
- cambalache 6y ago>Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't think there is anything at all about developers which would set them apart from the hoi polloi. Maybe their arrogance and inflated self-importance. But, then again, the hoi polloi are like that too.
- deckard1 6y agoI really thought the belief in tech company meritocracy died more than ten years ago.
- broberts01 6y ago> The easiest way to escape the rat race is to keep racing I don't think that is how it works.
- birdsbirdsbirds 6y agoDon't ignore the second sentence. A marathon distance can be a three day comfortable walk.
- offtop5 6y ago>The extra you’re paying for a Porche, for example, has more to do with the message you want to convey to others, not with the usefulness of the product itself. One of my best friends, who does better dating wise than anyone I know, drove a 98 Volvo. He was making well over 150k, but had so much quiet confidence he had no need to project anything. I make a similar amount, still wear clothes from Old Navy and when I do own a car it's the cheapest newish one I can find. Both me and my friend are essentially social media / online dating free. If your obsessed with trying to impress people you'll only attract those seeking to take advantage of you. The insecurity of needing to be someone makes you an easy target.
- saiya-jin 6y agoI got an issue with this common trope about fast cars bought only by clueless folks who compensate their messed up childhood or rather small body parts in some way. Have you guys actually properly driven (ideally on track) proper race-ish car? Porsche has several models which are kind of you can take on normal roads for long drives and drive race track with great success/fun. Basically 911s above 400 hp with rear wheel drive or best caymans. Not many in that category and price levels. Actually typical american muscle car is more in the 'doesn't make sense' category since whole added value is just straight line performance, not overall driving quality. Maybe too european view but definitely common. They might be minority in terms of sales, but those folks are out there. And they drive new models too.
- offtop5 6y agoIf you can buy it cash , go for it. I'm talking about the folks who finance cars they have no real capacity to afford. They aren't taking these cars to the track.
- lotsofpulp 6y agoPerhaps you and your friend are status signaling by signaling you don't have to status signal.
- offtop5 6y ago
- innagadadavida 6y ago> automobile that will help you go from point A to point B, faster There is also the thrill factor of high acceleration - something not at all addressed by the article.
- demadog 6y agoI like the article overall, but the status signaling he bemoans that everyone is doing is in fact limited to a percentage of people, most strikingly the Instagram influencer types. Yes it’s true in any circle you want to be well regarded - such as astrophysicist PhDs trying to write the next great paper - but broadly I don’t see the posturing he’s talking about being a universal or even majority thing. I do like the article overall and I’ve saved it, but to me it doesn’t seem to be the epidemic it’s laid out to be. Lots of people are different.
- st1x7 6y agoIt's ironic that the image of a rat race that came into my head after reading the title was exactly what the author proposes as an alternative at the end of the article - comparing yourself to others and constantly trying to upgrade your skills and yourself.
- imbnwa 6y agoBingo! The "rat race" has already adjusted for insufficient means of material improvement and has now entered the "knowledge economy" mode whereby now the signalling revolves around virtue and moralizing. TikTok has basically captured this entire new mode of engaging signaling, you can't open that app and swipe your feed without hearing someone lecture/preach/opine at you about some perceived collective wrong doing. TikTok buries the button that allows you to "dislike" content and so curate your feed to better enable this economy of head-nodding and head-turning. An entire platform that largely consists of people signalling virtues (how to be black; how to be white; how to not be a simp; how to not be one of _those_ people, etc, etc). I mean look at any of the "No Nuance November" content on TikTok It's funny, IG was just materialist imagery accompanied by platitudes of self-liberation but TikTok realized people desire to stoke their moral indignation as a means of coping with increasing complexity of the world
- cambalache 6y agoYeah, humans fight and care about money, but they do that with the same intensity about status/prestige. See all the silly fights in academic circles, in open source projects in non-profit organizations. Most people will fight to the bitter end for an ounce of prestige and recognition.
- Cloudef 6y agoI think the author should read The Egyptian by Mika Waltari
- khalilravanna 6y agoI’m so happy I made the mistake of buying a BMW with the money from my first software engineering job. I learned in my 20s that money buys very little short term happiness. And then you’re stuck with a loan and a “cool” car that you’ve normalized into “just another car”. So happy I made that mistake early and now I can puerilely laugh with a bit of schadenfreude whenever I see an expensive car knowing the owner loved it for all of 2 weeks and now likely laments dumping a wad of cash into a hunk of depreciating metal. On the flip side, when I see someone driving around in an old BMW they got for $3k and cleaned up themselves, I look on in awe. That’s the person to look up to. Not the person working themselves to death in a job they hate to drive a car that’s only the best for 6 months till the next year’s model comes out.
- saiya-jin 6y agoThere is some middle path - ie buying that beamer, few years old, for say 25% of the original price. Not because of some immaturity, need to compensate for something missing in life, just a desire to have a good car that does on the road exactly what one wants, whenever one wants and covers all one needs from it. Sticking with it for 10+ years, having it serviced at good unofficial mechanic, so it costs +-same as crappy cars people buy new for much higher prices. Which means simply not caring about the cost, in face of overall added value to life. It brings long term happiness. Satisfaction. Its just great. One of best investment in quality of life I ever did.
- khalilravanna 6y agoOh absolutely. That BMW was a used 2011 328i with a manual transmission. Great car and if I had kept it like you suggest I would have been smart. But I had to buy some other dumb used cars before I learned my lesson. Now I’m rocking a used ‘08 M3 to drive into the ground. Put 50k miles on it. Looking forward to the next 100k.
- noisem4ker 6y agoThe decay slope of happiness depends on personality. I still feel glad I splurged for expensive stuff I really liked ten years ago, and still like now. Part of it is emotional inertia, but it's probably also correlated with the fact I don't do impulse buying, am wary of advertisements and thoroughly research prior to parting with money.
- ozim 6y agoI don't see this article as eye opening or valuable. For me it looks like bait for people who would summarize themselves as "I watched Fightclub and I am better than sheepeople". Buying Porsche is not an issue for most of the people, so maybe audience for this article is "childless young professionals, who just sold a startup". Let alone most of the people I see that own a Porsche are 50+, that probably already have a big house and bunch of kids. Those people live on different planet and still they are nowhere near to 1% of the richest. I see most of people are already committed to long term goals like rising children, buying a house. It takes for them a lot of time to achieve those goals. It is the silent majority that wakes up goes to work and just live their lives. All those people that realized, they will never buy a Porsche an what is even more important they don't need one. I would say more eye opening would be: Presenting how much of that fake lifestyle is promoted and presented by media, social or otherwise, compared to how many people don't care and live normal life of paying off mortgage, being happy about an ice cream they were able to afford.
- broberts01 6y agoThe article is highlighting that the rat race is really just trying to be perceived as wealthy and give off a good image by purchasing more and better things. I think the "silent majority that wakes up goes to work and just lives their lives" is not a majority. Sure, people go to work but they are trying to make money to buy more things to show what they have. They don't necessarily need it to be a Porsche. The "luxury" goods that many people like to show off are as simple as a big screen TV.
- zanderz 6y agoThis reminds me of "The Darwin Economy" by Robert S. Frank (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12035503-the-darwin-economy https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12035503-the-darwin-econ...) where he proposes a tax on super expensive luxury consumption precisely because its main utility is social signalling. For example, spending $6 million on a sweet 16 party would have exactly the same utility as spending $3 million and paying $3 million in taxes on it, if everyone had to do the same. Probably more useful as a thought experiment than workable policy, but interesting to consider.